I Couldn't Help but Overhear
by fadedelegance
Summary: Set during "Zero". T for language. One morning, Mike and Connie each become privvy to some interesting conversations...


**Disclaimer: Dick Wolf and NBC own "Law and Order". I don't. **

**A/N: Okay, so we all know Linus Roache is a hottie. To me, that means that, by extension, Mike Cutter is a hottie. As such, he would be quite popular amongst the women of the D.A.'s office. It is this line of thought that lead me to write this fic. :-P I hope you all enjoy it! We also all know that Connie needn't worry about having competition—the only woman for Mike is her. :-) 3 **

** This fic is dedicated to June, Angie, LTP-girl, RubirosaRocks, originalsnookiedarookie, WatercolorTeardrops, Mike/Connie fans everywhere, Alana de la Garza, and Linus Roache. Love, Abby :-) **

**I Couldn't Help but Overhear…**

Connie entered Mike's office, coffee mug in hand, just to say 'good morning' before heading to the break room to get her routine morning dose of coffee.

Much to her unpleasant surprise, Mike was not alone.

There was Judge Reynolds' law clerk—the illustrious Carly. Connie could swear, ever since she and Mike caught the Hartwig case, that woman had been displaying her uncanny ability to be there every time Connie turned around.

Talk about incredibly annoying!

"Thanks for the heads-up, Carly," Mike said.

"Sure, not at all, Mike," Carly said kindly, conjuring up her best smile. "Listen, Mike, I—"

"Am I interrupting something?" Connie overrode Carly in a tone of false politeness.

As he always did, Mike lit up when she entered the room.

"Oh—" Carly stammered, clearly caught off guard by Connie's sudden appearance, "well…"

Connie raised an eyebrow at her, still assuming an air of false politeness.

"No," Carly replied, "no, you're—you're fine. It's fine."

Connie was pleased to hear she sounded a bit flustered.

"I'll, um—I'll just be going now," Carly then said. "You two have a good morning."

"Have a good morning, Carly. I hope it's great," Connie said, still in that false good-natured manner.

She had a fake, overly-pleasant smile on her face, as well.

She watched Carly leave in satisfaction.

If Carly and Mike had a thing going on, she didn't want to know—so she certainly didn't want to see them interacting.

Seeing Connie get rid of Carly like that made Mike melt. If Connie wasn't jealous of Carly, then what was all that about?

Connie was jealous…

That could only mean one thing.

She felt the same way he did.

Mike could hardly believe it.

Connie Rubirosa had feelings for him—_Connie Rubirosa,_ who could have absolutely any man she wanted; who was the total package—everything he could ever want in a woman and then some; who was the most incredible woman he'd ever met…

"Good morning," he said sweetly.

"Good morning," Connie returned, a touch of annoyance to her voice. "Have a good chat with your friend? I'm gonna go get coffee."

She then left the room before Mike could reply.

"No," Mike then said softly. "She's starting to annoy me, actually."

When Connie got to the break room, she walked in on a conversation she _really_ wished she hadn't.

"What do you think of Jim Stewart from Narcotics?" Bethany Romano from the Vice Bureau was saying. "I think he's really attractive. Nothing wrong with intra-bureau dating, is there? At least_ I_ don't think so…"

"Well, I'd like to think some co-workers around here can break-up without creating drama and behaving like teenagers," said Connie's closest friend in the office, Lacey Bardwell, who worked in the White Collar Crimes Bureau. "Or is that asking too much?"

She took a sip of her tea and swallowed.

"I think that's asking too much of _some _people," said Connie and Lacey's mutual friend Emma Blair, who also worked in White Collar Crimes.

Connie wanted to refrain from commenting but found she couldn't.

"I agree," she said, adding half-and-half to her freshly-poured coffee and stirring it. "No matter how old some people get, they never mature."

"Oh I know, right?" said Victoria Stafford from Vice. "I totally agree."

Victoria, who'd dated their coworker Mitchell Stanwick from Homicide, had tried to drag the poor guy's name through the mud and back several times over to every available woman in the office she knew of after the two of them broke up.

An awkward pause followed her words.

Connie wanted to ask if Mitchell Stanwick had been able to snag any dates recently but restrained herself.

Victoria was doing a perfectly good job of looking like a complete idiot on her own.

That was a talent of hers…

…as was hitting on Mike, which _also_ got on Connie's nerves—much more so than the idiot's tendency to make an ass of herself.

"So, how are everyone's cases going?" said Ana Gonzalez from Special Victims, breaking the silence.

Lacey snorted and bit back a smirk.

"Here's one for you guys," said Susan Reinholt from Narcotics, "Michael Cutter."

_Aaaaand, we are done!_ Connie thought, focusing on stirring her coffee, so none of them would notice she was blushing.

"Oh, yes! _Definitely_ yes!" said Ana. "I mean, _wow_…"

"Right?" said Victoria. "I would date him in a _heartbeat._"

_He wouldn't date __**you.**_

The moment Connie thought that, she mentally kicked herself for it.

"He's_ so_ attractive," said Susan. "I mean, there's his smile, and the way he's just got this boyish handsomeness to him, it's so sweet. He's _such_ a cutie!"

"Seriously," Emma agreed. "I agree with everything you just said."

"So do I!" said Ana.

"And me," said Victoria. "He's pretty hot."

"But," said Emma, "you're forgetting that, in addition to all of that, he's got blue eyes."

"Oh my gosh, I know!" said Susan. "I am quite the sucker for a man who's got blue eyes!"

"That makes three of us," said Victoria.

"I wish I knew him better," said Ana.

"Right?" said Victoria. "I need to talk to him more."

"I rather enjoyed working with him in Narcotics," said Susan. "In addition to his looks, it's also pretty damn attractive how intelligent he is. Right, Connie?"

Connie turned around much more sharply than she'd intended.

Well, so much for her I-can't-hear-you-all act.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. There were still fifteen minutes until the official work day started. Great. Just great. So was she going to have to be involved in this conversation until then? Wonderful.

"You're lucky, Connie," said Ana. "You get to enjoy the view more than any of us. You probably know him better, too—well, as much as Susan does."

"No, more than me," said Susan. "We were only in Narcotics at the same time for about three months before he got promoted."

"So miss lucky here," said Victoria, nodding at Connie.

Connie mentally kicked herself again, this time for blushing.

"Seriously," said Emma. "Why don't you sit down with us, Connie?

Connie hesitated for a moment.

_You don't have to say anything,_ she told herself. _Just sit and pretend to listen while you drink your coffee._

She then seated herself next to Lacey.

"I tell you, I'd go out with him if he asked," said Susan.

"Ditto," said Ana.

"Same here," said Emma.

"Me, too, without a doubt," said Victoria.

"Smart _and_ dreamy," said Susan.

Connie melted.

Those were understatements. Mike was very intelligent—and very handsome. And none of them knew him the way she did. None of them.

Carly certainly didn't.

But maybe that didn't matter.

Carly…

What _was_ it about her? What did she have that Connie didn't?

Connie swallowed a sip of coffee as a pang of sadness hit her—the answer to that question could be "a lot of things". The fact of the matter was, Mike knew Carly better than she did. So for all Connie knew, Carly could've been fantastic.

_She probably __**is**__ better than me,_ she thought.

But what about the time Mike had said he agreed that she was "the total package"?

Had he forgotten that?

Or had he just been joking with her?

She thought Mike was able to notice what was right in front of him.

Perhaps he couldn't, after all…

Then again, he didn't exactly seem disappointed when she basically shooed Carly out of his office.

Connie sighed.

Why were men so damn confusing?

She then felt another pang of sadness.

What if he _had_ thought she was "the total package"—but just not anymore?

Try as she might, Connie couldn't deny it—that really hurt.

"I won't lie—he's adorable," said Bethany. "Very dreamy."

"Well, unfortunately, you all are S.O.L.," Connie said.

"What, is he seeing someone?" said Victoria.

Connie swallowed another drink of coffee and then said, with an edge to her voice, "Seems that way. Her name is Carly, and she's the clerk for the judge presiding over one of me and Mike's current cases."

"Damn!" said Victoria, clearly disappointed.

Connie swallowed a sip of coffee and said, "And she makes it almost impossible to get any work done whenever she's around—which is much more often than necessary—because she always hangs all over him. It's very distracting."

The edge she'd had in her tone beforehand had not left her voice.

Lacey bit back a smile. She knew what was going on.

"That would bother me, too, if I were Mike's partner," said Emma.

At those words, Connie desperately hoped she wasn't blushing.

Her heart had definitely been racing ever since Mike became the topic of conversation.

"Again, lucky," said Ana.

"And that's not the only thing that bothers me," Connie said, the edge still occupying her tone. "He won't admit he has a conflict of interest—not even to me, and I'm his partner! When I confronted him about it, he said he didn't, but I think it's pretty obvious he does. I thought partners were supposed to be honest with each other. Apparently I was wrong."

"What all did he say when you talked to him?" Lacey asked her.

Connie swallowed another sip of coffee.

"I said, 'We don't have a conflict of interest problem, do we?', and then he acts like a complete wise-ass and says, 'No. And we don't have a jealousy problem, do we?' What kind of remark is that?"

"Well," Lacey said. "I think you _are_ jealous."

Connie stood up, coffee mug in hand.

"Okay," she said tersely. "I have to get to work, so I hope you all have a great day, and if you're due in court, good luck."

With that, she left the break room.

She then went to her office, set her coffee mug down on her desk, and turned her attention to her briefcase.

She'd just begun talking out her files on the Hartwig case, when—

"Connie?"

Connie looked up. There Lacey stood in the doorway.

"What?" Connie answered crisply.

"We're each other's best friend here in the office," Lacey said kindly. "You can open up to me about anything."

"Can I count on you not to embarrass me in front of our coworkers?" Connie said offhandedly.

"Oh Connie, I am so sorry," Lacey said sincerely. "You're right, I shouldn't have said that. I'm so sorry. That just slipped out without me thinking. Your feelings are your business."

"Apology accepted...But I suppose I asked for it, in a way," said Connie. "I shouldn't have even brought Carly up. It was just, before I realized what I'd said, I'd already blurted it out…"

"You didn't ask for that, Connie," said Lacey. "How you feel is how you feel. And who gives a shit what Victoria thinks? She's really the only petty person that was in the room. And she's a moron, anyway, we all know it."

"That's true," said Connie.

"Connie…What if Mike doesn't have a conflict of interest? What if he was telling the truth? Personally, I think he was. I don't think he'd lie to you. You mean too much to him for him to do that," Lacey said warmly.

Connie melted a little at those words.

"I mean, has he actively shown any interest in Carly?" Lacey continued.

Connie thought for a moment.

"Not really," she then said, trying really hard not to smile.

Lacey smiled.

"Remember that email you told me about? The one where that guy called you 'the total package'? And how you said Mike got all bashful and endearing and said, 'I completely agree'?" she said.

"I thought of that, actually," Connie admitted, smiling.

"Call me crazy, but I think miss Carly is in an unrequited situation," Lacey said kindly.

Connie's smiled broadened.

"See?" Lacey said. "You know I'm right. Connie, Mike isn't interested in Carly—not remotely. You know the only woman he's looking at is you."

Connie let her smile do the talking.

_She's right,_ Mike thought. _I __**am**__ only looking at you._

Neither Connie nor Lacey knew it, but he had been on his way to the break room to get coffee but had stopped before passing Connie's slightly ajar office door when he overheard Connie say, "I shouldn't have even brought Carly up".

_I don't care about Carly at all,_ he thought. _I'm only interested in you._

All he wanted was just to wrap her in his arms and tell her that.

Maybe some time, he would get the chance. He most definitely hoped so.

He couldn't help but smile.

Then, adopting a casual demeanor, he walked past Connie's office door to the break room.

"Well," said Connie, a smile still playing about her face, "I'd better get to work."

"Yeah, me, too," Lacey said, smiling, as well. "I'll see you around, Connie."

"Okay. See ya," Connie said warmly.

After Lacey left the room, Connie went back to organizing her files for the day, unable to keep from smiling.


End file.
